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Screen Rant's 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2019

With 2018 behind us, it’s time to explore the slate of exciting movies opening in theaters over the next 12 months. The Disney Star Wars trilogy is ending alongside the current iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Joker is getting his own movie, both Captain Marvels finally get their big screen debuts, and Jordan Peele's next horror movie is on the way. John Wick and Hellboy are coming back, there are new Frozen and Toy Story movies and much, much more make up our list of the 50 most anticipated movies of 2019.

How the 2019 most anticipated movies list was generated: 12 members of the Screen Rant team listed their top movies currently confirmed with wide theatrical release dates in 2018 at the time of writing (end of 2018) and is based on their interests at that time. Films listed by each staffer get points for being listed in their personal top 30 and additional points for where they were ranked. The scores by movie for all participants were tallied up to provide us the below listed ranking.

Keep in mind, many of these films have barely begun marketing at the time of publication and the starting list began at nearly 180 releases. This is a tally of multiple separate lists and no doubt yours will be different so before you ask “why is or isn’t _____ on this list?!” you know why. Share your most anticipated movies in the comments so we can compare! And here’s last year’s list of our 30 most anticipated movies of 2018.

50. Dumbo

Release Date: April 19, 2019

Director: Tim Burton

Writers: Helen Aberson, Ehren Kruger

Studios: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, the all-new grand live-action adventure “Dumbo” expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight. Circus owner Max Medici enlists former star Holt Farrier and his children Milly and Joe to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere, who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant, until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets.

49. The Curse of La Llorona

Release Date: April 19, 2019

Director: Michael Chaves

Writers: Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis

Studios: Atomic Monster, Warner Bros.

La Llorona. The Weeping Woman. A horrifying apparition, caught between Heaven and Hell, trapped in a terrible fate sealed by her own hand. The mere mention of her name has struck terror around the world for generations. In life, she drowned her children in a jealous rage, throwing herself in the churning river after them as she wept in pain. Now her tears are eternal. They are lethal, and those who hear her death call in thenight are doomed. La Llorona creeps in the shadows and preys on the children, desperate to replace her own. As the centuries have passed, her desire has grown more voracious…and her methods more terrifying.

In 1970s Los Angeles, La Llorona is stalking the night—and the children. Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. Their only hope to survive LaLlorona’s deadly wrath may be a disillusioned priest and the mysticism he practices to keep evil at bay, on the fringes where fear and faith collide.

Beware of her chilling wail…she will stop at nothing to lure you into the gloom. Because there is no peace for her anguish. There is no mercy for her soul.

Writer: Louisa May Alcott (novel), Greta Gerwig

Studios: Columbia Pictures, New Regency Pictures

Little Women is a period piece from producer and ex-Sony boss Amy Pascal, the eighth adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel. In 2015, Sarah Polley was attached to write and direct until a year later Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) took over.

Little Women's story follows young adult sisters in 1860s Massachusetts as they leave their family home and will jump around in time to follow its main characters. Expect this one to bit a big player on the awards circuit.

Studios: Chernin Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox

Ford v. Ferrari is a biopic drama based on the true story of the battle between Ford and Ferrari to win Le Mans, the oldest endurance race, in 1966. It's the first movie directed by Jim Mangold since he changed the superhero game with Logan, the last Hugh Jackman Wolverine movie.

Studios: Marv Films, Paramount Pictures

45. Under The Silver Lake

Release Date: April 19, 2019

Director: David Robert Mitchell

Writer: David Robert Mitchell

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough

Studios: Vendian Entertainment, A24

From the dazzling imagination that brought you It Follows comes a delirious neo-noir fever dream about one man's search for the truth behind the mysterious crimes, murders, and disappearances in his East L.A. neighborhood.

Sam (Andrew Garfield) is a disenchanted 33-year-old who discovers a mysterious woman, Sarah (Riley Keough), frolicking in his apartment’s swimming pool. When she vanishes, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal, and conspiracy in the City of Angels.

From writer-director David Robert Mitchell comes a sprawling, playful and unexpected mystery-comedy detective thriller about the Dream Factory and its denizens—dog killers, aspiring actors, glitter-pop groups, nightlife personalities, It girls, memorabilia hoarders, masked seductresses, homeless gurus, reclusive songwriters, sex workers, wealthy socialites, topless neighbors, and the shadowy billionaires floating above (and underneath) it all. Mining a noir tradition extending from Kiss Me Deadly and The Long Goodbye to Chinatown and Mulholland Drive, Mitchell uses the topography of Los Angeles as a backdrop for a deeper exploration into the hidden meaning and secret codes buried within the things we love.

44. Ad Astra

Release Date: May 24, 2019

Director: James Gray

Writers: James Gray, Ethan Gross

Studios: New Regency Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox

In Ad Astra (which means “to the stars” in Latin), Pitt plays a slightly autistic space engineer Roy McBride. Twenty years after his father left on a one-way mission to Neptune in order to find signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence, McBride travels through the solar system to find him and understand why his mission failed.

Director: Marielle Heller

Writers: Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster

Studios: Big Beach Films, TriStar Pictures

Two-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in Untitled Mr. Rogers/ Tom Hanks Project, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor.

42. Sonic The Hedgehog

Release Date: November 8, 2019

Director: Jeff Fowler

Writers: Patrick Casey, Josh Miller

Studios: Original Film, Paramount Pictures

This telling of Sonic's story sees him as a bit of a fish -- or hedgehog -- out of water. Sonic, voiced by Ben Schwartz, finds himself in our present-day world, wherein he develops a relationship with James Marsden's Tom Wachowski and also finds himself at odds with Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik. As expected, mayhem ensues.

The production team behind the movie opted to go for a more realistic take on Sonic -- down to his updated new kicks -- than the more cartoony version we've seen in the past. The filmmakers consider Ted to be an appropriate analog for the upcoming Sonic movie’s integration of a CG character into a real-world setting.